EDMONTON — Two kids from a west-end bowling league are in the midst of preparation for their first provincial championship coming up on March 4.

Kyle Engman and Brennan Kowalchuk during bowling practice at Callingwood Lanes on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. Photograph by Cheryl Walsh.

Brennan Kowalchuk and Kyle Engman, both nine years old, qualified to compete in the 2012 Youth Bowling Canada five-pin provincial championships at Bonnie Doon Lanes.

Both boys have been bowling at Callingwood Lanes since the age of three and say that they have known each other since they first started to bowl. Brennan and Kyle say that they both have displays at home of the numerous trophies and medals they have won over the years, and they are getting really excited to participate in provincials.

“If they win provincials they get to advance to nationals in Newfoundland,” said Brennan’s mom, Carrine Kowalchuk, who is also a league coach.

Brennan and Kyle practice at least once a week together in a youth league on Wednesday nights at Callingwood Lanes, located at 6655 178th St. When asked how he qualified for provincials, Brennan responded simply that he just bowled really well.

“We have four games; we switch lanes after each game. Then if we get past 170, we get to go to provincials,” said Kyle.

Callingwood Lanes has two youth bowling leagues. One is for younger kids, and they practice on Wednesdays. The older kids come in on Saturday mornings.

The alley has two sides when you walk in, one for the league and the other for the general public. The younger league takes up about 12 lanes and Kowalchuk said there are about 36 who kids participate weekly.

Behind the ball rack are small tables of four for the kids to sit on between their turns. Three steps up from those tables are seating for parents to cheer on their kids as they bowl.

Kowalchuk was saying that at the bigger tournaments, it’s hard sometimes to even get into the alley to watch the kids bowl. Everyone is there for excitement.

“You lose your voice! Parents and kids! It’s crazy busy and loud,” said Kowalchuk.

Newcomer Jade Holmes became a member of the league last November. Jade bowls with both Brennan and Kyle on a team they’ve named the Zombie Riders. On Feb. 15, Jade won her first-ever medal for beating her average and is looking forward to hopefully one day being able to participate in a big tournament like her teammates.

“I can have fun and I can just try my best, I don’t have to win,” said Jade.

Brennan and Kyle say that bowling is a lot of fun for them, they never get sick of it and always enjoy spending time with their friends.

“Biggest game ever Brennan! Good job! You can hit the rest of them down!!” said Kyle, cheering on Brennan.

“It’s just all skill and some luck, it’s all faith too,” said Kyle.

The tournament is set to start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 4. The public is more than welcome to watch, and the medal ceremony will be held at the Shaw Conference Centre after the tournament is over.

waddletonc@mymail.macewan.ca

JASPER PLACE — The Alberta Midget Hockey League’s premier talent was on display at the 23^rd annual all-star game on Feb. 5.

Team North, represented by the Dodge Division, won 8-5 over Team South, represented by the AMHL’s Chrysler Division in the game, which features players at the Midget level of hockey, ages 15 to 17.

The game, hosted by the Canadian Athletic Club on its 75th anniversary, took place at the Bill Hunter Arena at 9200 163 St., in front of parents, fans and junior and professional hockey scouts.

Mitch McAllister (left) of Team South is chased down by Team North's Ty Stanton during second period action at the 23rd Annual AMHL All-Star game at Bill Hunter Arena on February 5, 2012. Photograph by Craig Fraser.

As much fun as the game was for the players, the experience was nail-biting for some of the family and friends watching. For Steven Poitras, watching some of his friends play in the game was nerve-racking.

“You’re seeing all the scouts at the game from teams in the WHL and even a couple guys scouting from the Oilers and you just hope they’re picking your friends,” Poitras said, who watched his friends on Team North from the stands. “I kind of want to go talk to the scouts and beef up the guys a little bit.”

The AMHL coaches selected the players from each team. The victor of the game was awarded the Chrysler Cup.

For Team South goaltender Dasan Sydora, the chance to play in the all-star game was exciting. “It was fun. Any player would want to be a part of this,” Sydora said.

The 17-year-old, who plays for the Red Deer Optimist Rebels, was named the first star of the game for stopping all 24 shots he faced before handing over net minding duties to Devin McDonald of the AMHL’s Calgary Flames.

The AMHL all-star game has been around since 1984, with the South having a total of 10 Chrysler Cup wins since 1989-90 and the North with now 13 cups after Sunday’s game. The game has featured current NHL talent such as Dany Heatley of the Minnesota Wild and Jay Bouwmeester of the Calgary Flames.

Team South started the game’s scoring, going up 2-0 from goals by Nick Josephs and Sam Plaquin in the first period. Tyler Wong, Riley Whittingham, and John Edwardh scored later for the South, but Team North came back in the second period with goals from Dodge division assistant captains Carson Soucy, Spencer Foo and Jetlan Houcher. Taylor Cooper, Shelby Kostyshen, Tommy Hrazdira, Ambrose Firkus and Team North captain Jarrett Brown all potted goals in the third to make the final score 8-5 in favour of the Northern All-Stars, who celebrated their third Chrysler Cup in six years.

Team North celebrates an 8-5 victory over Team South at the 23rd Annual AMHL All-Star game at Bill Hunter Arena on February 5, 2012. Photograph by Craig Fraser.

The AMHL All-Star Awards Banquet was held on Feb. 4at the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel. CAC alumnus Matt Frattin, currently with the Toronto Maple Leafs, was named honorary captain for the Dodge Division team. Former Edmonton Oiler Fernando Pisani was named honorary captain for the Chrysler Division team. Both CAC alumni played for the Gregg Distributors, Pisani in 1992-93 and Frattin in 2004-06.

Guest speakers for the All-Star Awards Banquet were Edmonton Oil Kings assistant coach Steve Hamilton as well as AMHL alumnus and current Edmonton Oil King Travis Ewanyk.

fraserc41@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — A west Edmonton John Deere company tried out a different venue than usual when it showcased some of its new products at the Edmonton motorcycle and ATV show.

Martin Deerline, which has several locations in the city, including one located in the west end at 17104 118 Ave., was out with a display of some of its more rugged, all-terrain vehicles at the annual show, which ran Jan. 13-15 at the Edmonton Expo Centre.

The Martin Deerline banner that hung over the display at the Edmonton Motorcycle Show. Photograph by Craig Fraser.

“It’s not our venue but it’s a chance to catch some of the other tastes patrons may have,” said west-end Deerline sales manager Jeff Yee. “There’s guys who go around and look at motorcycles of course, but there’s also those who ride, that also have stuff like dirt bikes, quads, snowblowers, you name it.”

Martin had a few of its products out on display, namely the “Gator” series of ATVs, which features more off-road, bush-thumping vehicles, some that fit up to five people. Martin primarily showcased two new models for this year, Yee said, including the XUV 55oS4, and the 825i, which are both all-terrain four-wheeled vehicles with overhead protection and multiple passenger potential.

Although Martin’s display was smaller than the upscale setups for such companies like Harley Davidson and Honda, the engines were certainly revved for all those attending the three-day motorcycle showcase, especially those excited to get up to the John Deere 825i that had tank treads instead of wheels for optimal off-road control.

For Mill Woods resident and frequent Martin Deerline customer Patrick Tellier, the Martin display was a welcoming site.

“It was interesting to see it here. I came to look at the new Yamaha cruisers but I had to stop to see what Martin had.” Tellier said. “I have a Deere tractor for yardwork and now I’m looking into the 825i Gator.”

For some attendees, like Jasper Place resident Brian Woodcroft, it was the 825i custom off-road monster that was a dream come true.

“I was looking at the new V-Rod from Harley and I thought I was going to buy it, but this thing is just everything I want to do with my weekends,” Woodcroft said of the custom 825i Gator. “My son noticed it and dragged me over and now I want it too. I don’t think my wife would be so keen though.”

The John Deere 825i Gator utility vehicle, custom-made with "tank treads" instead of wheels with a custom glass-encasing cab and camouflage paint job. Photograph by Craig Fraser.

The motorcycle show itself entertained thousands of people over the three-day bike presentation, with the new 2012 models opening eyes to the sleek, bold and stupidly fast bikes that are available. Harley Davidson unveiled the new 1,250cc V-Rod, a sit-up rocket of a cruiser that boasts a Revolution-style V-twin engine that Harley co-developed with Porsche.

As well, Suzuki and Kawasaki unveiled the latest versions of the GSX-R and Ninja sportbike lineups respectively, with Yamaha and BMW also adding displays of racing superbikes.

One of the biggest focuses of the show was Honda’s new VFRs as well as a 20th-anniversary edition of the CBR 1000rr bike. Honda also displayed the new 250R for the beginner rider, complete with a tilt-to-the-side model setup for those who wished to have a photo leaning into a turn like a pro.

The Edmonton Motorcycle Show runs again next year in January. The next auto event for the Expo Centre will be in March for the Edmonton Motorshow, which runs from March 1 to 4.

fraserc41@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — The outdoor rink at Grandview Heights is ready for skaters, thanks to five friends who are learning hard work and accountability in order to keep their community rink up and running.

With freezing cold winters and a passion for hockey, outdoor ice rinks are a big hit throughout our city. Shelby, 21, manages a group of five guys who have been friends since they were in elementary school.

“It’s awesome that we can just come work and hang out with out friends while doing something that we love,” said ice rink employee Logan McGlone. “It doesn’t really seem like a job because I’m enjoying it.”

Once everyone has left the rink for the night, out comes a big blue and yellow broom that is used to sweep all of the excess snow that has been scraped off the ice. The rink is large and the broom is rather small by comparison, so the job takes almost an hour to complete.

After all the snow has been swept to the side, the boards need to be scraped and the excess snow around the sides of the rink needs to be shoveled out.

When all of the snow is off of the ice, the guys go into the back of the rink shack, and get the hose ready.

“You have to spray the water on the ice really evenly,” said McGlone. “If you don’t, the surface won’t be smooth when it freezes.”

The entire process takes around four hours to complete and usually after it’s done, the guys call their friends down to play a game of hockey for a few hours.

Lucas Palamarek, a staff member at Grandview ice rink, said working with his good group of friends makes him more accountable. Sometimes at the end of the night, if he’s really tired, he thinks about not completing all of his tasks, but quickly remembers that whoever will be in the next day will have to do it, and he doesn’t want to do that to his friends.

It’s not strange to find three or four young men who are not scheduled or getting paid hanging around the rink during after hours helping out and keeping their friends company on the job.

Grandview’s rink is so popular that it often has to turn people away. The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues has a map of all of Edmonton’s outdoor community rinks if you’re looking for a place to skate.

Twelve-year-old Forrest Chatwin of Grandview says this is the favourite part of his day.

“I just love coming down here with my buddies,” said Chatwin. “You just call them up and they’re all here within minutes and everyone wants to skate.”

waddletonc@mymail.macewan.ca

By Tyler Loutan

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Sports and Social Club hosted its Christmas dodgeball tournament at the St. Xavier Sports Centre on Dec. 10.

About 400 dodgeballers gathered in the gym, many in festive gear, to whip balls at each other for fun and athletic glory.

West Edmonton Local did a preview of this event, and here’s an audio slideshow of the event:

Enjoy, and happy holidays.

EDMONTON — A west Edmonton yoga studio is helping people reach inner peace while sweating it out.

Bikram Yoga West Edmonton, located on 15109 Stony Plain Rd., offers classes that pair challenging poses with intense heat.

Made up of a series of 26 yoga poses (asanas) and two breathing exercises (pranayamas), Bikram Yoga is designed to stimulate the body’s organs, nerves and glands, while stretching and strengthening its muscles, joints and ligaments.

Check out instructor Kellie Paraginog’s class in action:

LaliotisV@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — The malls have been prepping for the season since Halloween, and holiday episodes are all over TV, but for some, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without dodgeball.

Whipping balls at your fellow man — what better way to celebrate the season?

The Edmonton Sport and Social Club dodgeball league hosts its bi-annual tournament on Saturday, Dec. 10. Previous tournaments have showcased a country or an “I love the ‘80s” theme, but this time it will have a Christmas theme.

“It’s going to be hard to dodge a ball dressed up like a Christmas tree, or run with jingle bells,” said Jason Bridger, the ESSC marketing manager. “But it’s all in good fun.”

The tournament has 40 teams registered to play at various levels of experience ranging from recreational to competitive. Each team will play four games in the round robin with the top teams advancing to the playoffs to determine a champion.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Bridger. “There’s going to be teams dressed up in Christmas gear, Christmas music playing, prizes, extra contests, it’s going to be a good time.”

The ESSC dodgeball league runs throughout the year. The sport got a boost in 2004 with the release of the Vince Vaughn/Ben Stiller movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.

“The movie helped the popularity for sure,” said Chris Berry, ESSC design and sports administrator. “It’s a game familiar to our childhoods and it’s a sport with no expectations. No one grows up playing competitive dodgeball, it’s just something people picked up again and had a lot of fun with.”

The appeal has a bit more to do with the sportsmanship and culture of the league than the sport itself.

“Dodgeball is my life,” said Berry. “It’s not just a sport, there’s a social aspect. Barely a Saturday night will go by where I don’t hang out with other dodgeball players and talk about dodgeball or cool plays that happened or the season.”

While the real playoffs will come later on in the season, this tournament is a fun mid-season event for the league.

“Some people are going to come out to dress up and have a good time,” said Berry. “But some teams are going to take it more seriously. Either way, it’s going to be awesome.”

The Christmas dodgeball tournament will take place at the St. Francis Xavier Sports Centre, 9240 163 street, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. No admission for viewers — just watch out for flying balls… dodgeballs.

 LoutanT@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — As the Raymond Comets quarterback put his knee down to run out the final seconds, Dylan Bodnar stood on the other side of the scrimmage line, knowing he was wearing the red helmet and black jersey of the Jasper Place Rebels for the last time.

Rebels football players Dylan Bodnar and Cody Prechal chat in the hallway after classes at Jasper Place High School on Nov. 16, 2011. Photograph by Tyler Loutan

But as the Rebels walked off the field and into the dressing room, Bodnar couldn’t help but feel proud of what the Rebels had achieved.

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Bodnar said with calm confidence, as he reflected on his three years as a Rebel. “I gave it my all and I’m happy with what I put in.”

Since the playoffs started, Bodnar knew that every game he played could potentially be his last game as a Rebel, being in Grade 12 at Jasper Place High School.

“We played with lots of emotion every game on every play,” Bodnar said. “Every game felt like our last and it was motivation to make it the best it can be.”

Bodnar said Jasper Place kept pace with the Comets until the second half when the Rebels’ starting quarterback left the game with an injury. The Rebels were unable to take control with the change of game plan.

“It was so awesome to have the family and team supporters come all the way down to Raymond just to support us,” Bodnar said about the positives of his final game. “After the game, the coaches thanked the team for a great season and what we accomplished.”

The Raymond Comets went on to play the Harry Ainlay Titans in the Alberta Bowl. The Titans won in overtime, 21-16.

Bodnar has come a long way from playing football in the backyard with his family to trying out in Grade 10 with no formal football experience. Most Rebel players come from amateur football clubs around the city, but Bodnar, a defensive back who stands five feet seven inches and weighs 150 pounds, worked hard to make the team.

“I remember the first time coming to tryouts and thinking how intimidating it was,” said Bodnar. “It was like, ‘Wow, all these guys are here to do the same thing I want to do.’ ”

Bodnar played one junior year and two senior years as a defensive back for Jasper Place, winning one junior championship with his team and playing in two city championships in the senior program.

“We were a great team,” Bodnar said. “We had great individuals that I’ll never forget because we shared these experiences together.”

But Bodnar’s greatest accomplishment may have more to do with the classroom than the football field, as he managed to juggle both school and football, and keep grades as his top priority.

“[Bodnar is] going be a successful kid in the real world,” said Ryan David, Rebels head coach. “He doesn’t say a lot and he’s not a physically imposing guy, but he works his hardest every time. He’s a role model, takes care of his academics, worked hard every game, and he was an absolute pleasure to coach.”

Now that the season and high school football are over for Bodnar, he looks forward to what’s next in life. He aims to finish Grade 12 with high marks to get into the University of Alberta to study computer engineering. He may try out for the U of A Golden Bears too, but only if it doesn’t interfere in his class schedule.

“Football taught me a lot about being a better person, being in better physical condition and progressing as an athlete,” said Bodnar. “Thanks to the coaches, team, my family and all the support that’s got me this far. I look forward to going on to bigger and hopefully better things.”

LoutanT@mymail.macewan.ca

Snow Valley isn’t depending much on Mother Nature for snow this year.

Although Edmonton’s Nov. 13 snowfall was later than normal this year, the delay in winter precipitation hasn’t affected snow making at the hill at 119 Street off of the Whitemud.

“The only difference I think it may have made would have been for opening day to be a bit more busy,” said marketing and communications manager Tim Dea.

Snow making at Snow Valley. Photograph provided by www.goskialberta.com

Averaging more than 1.2 million cubic metres of snow made per year, Snow Valley is right on track to host its expected 180,000 or more skiers this winter.

“The only thing we want Mother Nature to provide is a cold temperature and a favourable or no wind,” said operations manager Marlin Van Zandt.

Wind is crucial to the snow-making process at Snow Valley. If it is blowing towards the freeway, Snow Valley cannot make snow because the wind-blown precipitation causes dangerous driving conditions on the neighbouring roads.

Van Zandt said the machines have the ability to make snow when the temperature is 1 C, but the most cost-effective temperatures to make it at are between -5 C and -25 C.

“As soon as the cloud comes over the hill, our snow-making is done,” said Van Zandt. “It’s like putting a blanket over the hill, and temperatures can rise degrees within minutes.”

One of the snow-making employees always has to be on call, especially at the beginning of the season. When there is very little snow on the ground, Snow Valley wants to take advantage of every opportunity to make it, and if that comes at 3 a.m., then someone has to be there to make it happen, said Van Zandt.

“There are a few staff members that have been around for a while and know what they are doing when it comes to making snow,” said Van Zandt. New snow apprentices learn the practice from their more seasoned mentors.

The snow-making staff try to monitor weather up to 24 hours ahead of time.

The water used for making snow is city drinking water and when the machines are performing at full blast for 24 hours, they can produce up to 17,000 cubic metres of snow, using about 4.5 million litres of water.

Van Zandt said that the colder it is, the more snow you can make. Snow Valley uses the newest in airless technology for snow-making and is constantly tweaking the machines to make them more energy-efficient.

waddletonc@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — A west Edmonton gym is combining its members’ interest in high-intensity exercise with their desire to do good for the community.

Jason Roncesvalles, Catherine Fortuna, Darrin Ambrose, Jennifer Lipuscek, Adam Teece and Kyle Samson all participating in the last CrossFit class of the event on Saturday, October 29, 2011. Photograph by Cheryl Walsh.

On Nov. 26, the gym will host an event called “Burpees for KidSport,” where members and participants will go out and collect pledges from family and friends to donate money according to how many burpees are done.

A burpee is an intense full-body exercise that is performed in four steps.

The last event held at CrossFit Armoury was inspired by Halloween and was called “Will WOD for Food.” Participants dressed up in their Halloween costumes and did a Workout Of the Day (WOD). The cost for the class was a donation to the Edmonton Food Bank.

“Over 30 people came out to participate in the two short hours,” said owner and trainer Jason Roncesvalles.

Roncesvalles said the event itself was a success and he was impressed with the turnout.

Trainer Catherine Fortuna said that she had a lot of fun leading the workouts and that it was really amusing to see people working out in costume.

CrossFit has been around for over a decade, but has become more popular in the past five years.

Workouts can last any where from 10 minutes to an hour and can be extremely intense. In order to teach CrossFit, instructors go through special training.

There are many CrossFit instructors throughout Edmonton, but this is the only gym that specializes in it in west Edmonton, Roncesvalles said.

Burpees for KidSport will be held on Saturday, Nov. 26, at CrossFit Armoury and is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. For more details, visit the website or call 780-691-7817 and to speak with Jason Roncesvalles.

waddletonc@mymail.macewan.ca